Work Text:
The sunrise poured through the open windows, splashing warm colours over the single occupant of the apartment. The space felt full to the point of overflowing. Stacks of books were layered with hoodies and randomly discarded socks were scattered across the floor. A collection of sneakers filled the small closet near the front door. The only perfectly clean rooms were the kitchen and bathroom.
Jasper woke before his alarm. He had always been a morning person but since opening his business two years ago, he loved starting his day. Friday was a particular favourite as the bulk of the new orders would arrive, which meant he would spend the day handling new books and creating displays. Holding out his hand, he murmured, “Cleanest please.” He had always been polite with his magic. Something his friends had teased him about but he noted that all of them had burnout phases where their craft didn’t work like it should. He never did. His magic liked working for him. A dark blue hoodie and white t-shirt floated to the bed. The jeans just wiggled sadly from the floor. Shit, he needed to do laundry.
Gathering up an armload, he shoved it into the washing machine but didn’t turn it on just yet. His shower came first. Once his morning ablutions were completed, he flicked on the washer and settled in front of his laptop. As his work commute consisted of crossing the alley behind his apartment building, he could take his time. Emails were sorted first and then he checked out a few of the publishers as he waited for that familiar buzz.
As soon as he was wearing a respectable pair of jeans, Jasper took the stairs from his fourth floor apartment to the rear exit. The alley was still chilly, the sun not yet having a chance to warm the space but there was a distinct promise of a particularly nice spring day ahead in the air.
JJ Books shared its space with Great Greens, which was a cafe owned and operated by his best friend, Monty Green and his wife, Harper McIntyre. They had scrimped and saved for years and finally Jasper’s windfall inheritance from his grandmother had sealed the deal. Six months later, their paired businesses were in operation. The location had been the hardest thing to find but once the old Victorian near the business district of Polis had come on the market, it was smooth sailing from there. It was close enough to the towering office buildings that people could stop in for a browse on lunch as well as catch that elusive morning traffic.
It helped that Harper’s magic was strong, meaning when someone asked for a shot of a particular ingredient to improve their day or afternoon, it worked. Jasper got in line behind a blonde with glittering wings pinned back and a portfolio under one arm. Fox, the barista, nodded as the blonde ordered a large latte with a double shot of luck.
“Luck? Something good happening today?” Jasper asked.
The blonde turned and grinned, “Yes, big presentation for a new job I’m pitching. I just wish I could find my favourite earrings. I don’t know where they went. They always bring me good fortune.”
“Oh, let me try.” He held out his hand. His magic was particularly rare. He was a Finder.
“Really! Yes please.” She replied enthusiastically and held out a small hand to him.
He placed two fingertips on her palm and murmured, “Just picture them.” Then he frowned as his energy flowed over her and then out into the world. “Backseat of the car, one is trapped in the seat. The other is on the floor, near an old coffee cup. From Fae’s Fortunate Flows. Competitor!”
“Oh thank you.” She blushed prettily as she started to justify, “I mean I was on the other side of town and I…”
“I was teasing. Their tea lattes are pretty good.”
“Oh yes, they are. Ummm.. I’m Clarke.”
“Nice to meet you Clarke, I’m Jasper Jordan. Of…” He gestured to the bookshop entrance.
“Ohhh I’ve been meaning to go in there.”
“You should. I can help you find exactly what you want, or need, as the case may be.” Jasper replied easily as he moved forward in line and Clarke moved on with a wave to collect her drink and then go rescue her earrings.
Latte and a breakfast sandwich in hand, Jasper opened the door to his store. He checked his messages and pulled the float from the office before flipping on the open sign. In an hour or so the new stock would arrive and he had a lot to do before then. He had just finished clearing the front display table when the door jangled. Glancing up, he grinned at the sight of a local councilman, Marcus Kane.
“‘Morning Sir.”
“Ah, Jasper, good, glad you are open a bit early today. I have to catch a flight shortly.”
Which of course, meant the councilman needed something to read but had no time to browse. “Fiction or non-fiction today?”
Marcus paused before replying, “Fiction.”
“Perfect,” Jasper placed his fingertips on the back of Marcus’ hand and closed his eyes. His energy flowed through the bookstore, tugging out a few possibilities that found their way to the front counter and gracefully set themselves in a stack in front of him. “Ooh options. You’re a man with diverse tastes” He stated with interest as he looked through the selection. There was a fun Harlan Coben mystery, a spicy romance by Victoria Aveline and a domestic thriller by Louise Candlish.
Marcus cleared his throat and chuckled, “I’ll take all three.”
It didn’t take long to ring up the man’s purchases. Marcus slid the books into his briefcase and the way his fingertips rested on the spicy romance, Jasper was sure that would be the first one the man read. Jasper had stopped judging people’s book selections years ago but he had to admit he was a little impressed.
The day passed in a familiar haze, not particularly different than the one before. People popped in to browse the stacks of books, soaring up to the ceiling, in an improbable magical fashion. His clerk, Emori, arrived as soon as her morning classes finished up and then proceeded to lead the Story Hour for Tots and Toddlers followed by the Afterschool Reading Workshop. These sessions allowed caregivers to wander over for a treat at Greens.
The day dwindled into evening. Emori was settled at the counter with her textbook while Jasper finished his day's work and wandered back over. “Heading home. If you need anything, just shoot me a text.”
“You say that every time.” Emori replied.
“Here’s the crazy bit, I mean it every time.” Jasper retorted and then laughed as Emori did.
“Very funny, boss, now go home and get some sleep. Knowing you, you’ll be here at some wildly horrible time in the morning.”
Emori was not a morning person but that made her perfect to cover those last few hours of the day when Jasper just wanted to chill. By the end of the day, he was a little done with the general public. Whereas his clerk would probably be up until the wee hours, studying or hanging out with that hot asshole boyfriend of hers or that girl they both hung out with all the time. Jasper wasn’t sure as to the nature of the relationship between them. There were some things that he just didn’t need to know.
The alley was close to blackness, with only a few dim, blinking bulbs just above the garbage bins. Jasper took out the trash as it had a particular system and Emori had messed it up once too often and now the Mulch Fae who managed the system would close up their bins whenever she approached. He sighed in recollection as he began to slide the waste from the days’ work into the correct slots. The Mulch Fae loved their alley's bins because of the coffee grounds and paper. He couldn’t afford to piss them off anymore than Emori had done so he was careful to put everything into the correct categories.
A cat yowled from down the alley, a sound which made Jasper jump and look around. Mrs. Grey’s tabby came racing around the corner and then leapt the old bins before disappearing into the darkness. A whine of despair echoed down the alley.
“Hello?”
Jasper was probably being an idiot and this was how idiots died, wandering down dark alleys toward strange sounds. He turned on his cell phone’s flashlight feature and flashed it around the alley. There was nothing much down this way. The Mulch Fae preferred their organised bins with a specific system and avoided the dank part of the alley like anyone with good sense.
When a pair of eyes flashed in the light, Jasper screamed and dropped his phone in a clatter. It skidded across the old cobblestones to land against a pair of black boots that wouldn’t have looked out of place on any of the most emo Fae in town. A hand reached down, black fingertips holding the object like it was a hot coal, before offering it toward him.
“Oh, okay. Sorry I screamed. You just surprised me. I was just wondering what Whiskers was running from.”
“Whiskers?” The voice that repeated the name was husky yet confused.
“The cat.” He gestured with the phone, to indicate which way Whiskers had run.
“Oh well, I…I tried to eat Whiskers.”
“What? Why?” Even if he was into kitty munchtime, he certainly wouldn’t have wasted time on a scrawny old cat like Whiskers.
Then, to his complete surprise, the attempted kitty-killer burst into tears, “I was hungry and they made me leave and I don’t want to be here! I wanna go home!”
Jasper was flummoxed, “Okay, well, if you promise to not murder any of my neighbours’ pets, you can come with me. I can get you some food and I’ll help you figure out a way to get home. Or another safe place at least. What do you say?”
He held out a hand to the lost person and sent a prayer to whatever gods looked over Polis that kitty-killer didn’t take a bite out of him. The hand that touched his was warm and the black tipped fingers were soft.
He folded his hand carefully over those fingers, palm to palm, with the lightest of touches and tugged them out into the light. He tried not to stare so he carefully walked to the entrance of his apartment building and entered the door code. “Just umm, straight up the stairs. I’m on the top floor.”
“Okay.”
The hand fell away and he waited until they started walking up the stairs before he followed. There was something distinctly female about the stray person but he was pretty sure she was neither human nor Fae. He just couldn’t yet pinpoint exactly what she was. Her face was half-hidden under the hood of her overcoat, which was long and black. Her boots were covered in fine soot and her only visible skin was her hands.
She snuffled softly, as if she had been crying. At the top of the stairs she hesitated, waiting for further direction.
“Just this way,” he instructed as he brushed past her, careful not to make contact and then opened his front door. He held it for her, allowing her to step through before nudging off his sneakers. The door fell closed behind them as he released his hold on the handle. His impromptu guest turned to face him, lifting a hand to push back the hood that hid her features.
Finally, in the full light of his front entry, he could see her. Her chin had a little point and her hair was dark and silky, falling around her small face. Her forehead was red and he couldn’t tell if that was makeup of some kind or her natural skin. Her frame was slender and she wasn’t particularly tall. Of course, the real tip offs were the fact that her eyes were as black as midnight and buried in that silky dark hair were two small horns about the size of his pinky finger.
He had brought home a demon.
Well this was an embarrassing way to die.
Jasper cleared his throat and gestured to her feet, “No shoes in the house please.” Oh for the love of all magic, did he just insist a demon take off her shoes? He was going to die.
“Oh, okay.” She bent low enough to comply as Jasper stepped around her. Unsure what to say next, he decided to go with the casual familiarity that he started with.
“I’m going to get dinner on. Stir fry okay with you? Are you allergic to anything?”
“I want meat.” There was a distinct pout to her tone and Jasper had to refrain from chuckling.
“No problem. Chicken okay? I think I might also have some pork in the freezer if you prefer.”
The tone was aggrieved as she replied, “Chicken is fine.”
“I’m going to mix in some veggies too, umm for me, if that’s okay. Good for us humans and all that.”
“Fine.” It was a clipped word, reminding him of pretty much every woman he knew when annoyed.
“Washroom is down the hall on the right. If you need to clean up or whatever.”
She disappeared for a few minutes, and Jasper tried to breathe. He picked up his phone and quickly texted Monty.
Jasper: I have a visitor. If I disappear or something, know I love you guys.
Monty: Dramatic. Who?
Jasper: A demon.
Monty: Shit, do you want us to call someone?
Jasper: No, good so far. Tbh I think she’s lost.
Monty: Well you are a Finder but this find may take the cake. Check in.
Jasper: I will.
The fact that he told Monty made this real - terrifying but real. The demon strolled back into the living room and kitchen area of his apartment, where she stood watching him for a long minute. The red on her forehead was partially removed but looked incomplete.
“Need some help with that?” Jasper murmured, gesturing to her face.
Her hand fluttered up, the inky black of her fingertips remained disconcerting, and she nodded, “I don’t have a reflection.”
“Really, I didn’t know that. I thought that was just Vamps.”
She sneered, “I am not one of them. Waste of meat.”
Okay so apparently even demons could have prejudices. Weird but Jasper was rolling with it. He pulled out a stool from the kitchen island and patted it. “Have a seat.”
As she took a seat, he ran a cloth under the hot water, gave the food another good stir and then stopped in front of her. He dabbed at the red marking gently and was surprised when it lifted easily from the pale skin underneath.
“So, umm, I’m Jasper. Jasper Jordan to be specific. I own and manage JJ Books. That alley you were in was just behind my office and also my home, which is weird I know but yeah, that’s me. Who, umm, who are you?”
“I could eat you.”
Jasper blinked and nodded, “That would be a little rude considering I invited you here.”
The demon paused, her mouth pursing, as she clearly thought about his words, “I could though. I’ve eaten humans before.”
“Well, I’m pretty skinny, not much meat here. Might be better sticking with the chicken.” He was aiming for levity as he tried to think of ways not to get eaten.
“Maybe,” she sighed.
“So you’re pretty scary and all, why did they make you leave?”
Tears welled in her eyes, leaking pink down her pale cheeks. By all the Fae, young and old, did demons cry blood? That was fucked up, right?
“I didn’t mean to be good. It was all a mistake.”
Jasper stared down at her, continuing to wash off the rest of her makeup, leaving her face bare and almost innocent in its expression. “What did you do?”
“I did eat him though.”
“Eat who?”
“The man with the children, doing the bad…he was making them cry.”
“Holy shit, you’re the one who saved those kids.” Jasper exclaimed. The story was well known and currently all over the papers. A local raid found a home with nine trafficked children hidden in it behind a secret wall. The children all reported the same story of an avenging angel coming in, stopping the man and dragging him away. It was a grim story but with a rare happy ending. The children were safe and recovering. The man whose name had not yet been released was missing with only a foot and part of his face left behind.
“Yes,” she confessed miserably.
“Listen I know in demon world you probably did a bad thing but sometimes good people doing bad things for good reasons, so demons can do good things for bad reasons.” Jasper consoled. She visibly brightened.
“Really?”
“Absolutely. And you know, why don’t you just take this as a sort of…vacation?”
“Vacation?”
“Yes, like a holiday. You could check out the city, walk around, hang out at my bookstore, I could show you some stuff. I’m sure eventually you will get to go home again. After all, they will miss you. You seem pretty awesome. The only deal is that you can’t kill or eat any of my friends or neighbours.”
She nodded, “I guess I could.”
“None of their pets either.”
The demon groaned, “Fine.”
Jasper set down the cloth and gave the food another stir before checking on the rice. “So dinner's almost ready. I don’t have much to drink. Maybe some wine in that cupboard over there if you want to check. I’m more of a pop or water guy. Lattes in the morning.”
“What is a lot-eh?” she asked, an inquisitive tip to her head.
“Oh you’re gonna love it. I’ll get you one tomorrow.”
“Okay.” The cupboard opened and then closed and she smiled at him as she brandished a large bottle of red wine. Her canines were pointed in a particularly terrifying way and Jasper nodded with wide eyes.
“Good one, um, so what’s your name?”
She glanced up from her task of apparently ripping off the cork of the bottle with her teeth. He reached into the drawer and passed over the corkscrew. She played with it as she murmured, “I don’t think your tongue could say it.”
“Okay, fair enough. What do you want to be called then? I have to introduce you to my friends and I need to call you something. What would you like it to be?”
“I don’t know.” She appeared flummoxed by the question.
“Ummm, okay. I have an idea. I’m a Finder. So let’s find you a name.”
“What’s a Finder?”
“A Finder is a type of magic that some humans have whereby they can find things. As a kid I made a lot of money returning people’s lost pets or jewellery. I just have to put my fingers somewhere on your skin, just your palm would do, and then you think of what you want, what you are looking for, and then my magic will find it.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously but her hand shot out, palm up, as her eyes settled on his face. He was pretty sure if this went weird, he was getting eaten. Jasper took a breath and placed two fingers on her palm. His eyes closed but he could feel her gaze hard on his face, watching him. “Please help my guest find her name.”
His stacks of books ruffled in the ripple sent out by his magic. An old textbook, buried in the cupboard rattled and wheezed, the magic tugging hard on the paper. It shuffled across the floor, dragging the rest of the box with it, until it was out in the open. The box tipped, spilling paper and old books. A text on ancient Rome from a history class he had taken in college slid across the dining room table, falling open to a particular page.
The demon glanced down at the page. Her smile revealed those wicked canines again but her eyes, black as the darkest night, seemed to dance in amusement as she looked up at him, “My name is Octavia.”
Jasper laughed in pure relief, “That’s actually a great name. It’s nice to meet you, Octavia. Welcome to my home.”
Her smile took on a sharp edge, “I could still eat you. But I won’t. I promise.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
Dinner was good. Octavia liked the rice, which she said reminded her of little maggots, which were a personal favourite of hers. This was a disgusting notion that almost put Jasper off his dinner but he muddled through. She was not enthused about the vegetables but ate a few after Jasper said that if she was going to try out the human realm, she may as well taste what they ate.
It turned out that she could read. In fact she could read all languages that ever existed. It was a particularly nifty skill but she knew little of human history as they had recorded it. She read from his history text, often reciting some rather grim facts from the demon realm about that same time period.
After checking in with Monty for the last time, he made up the bed with some fresh sheets for her and then the couch for himself. He had just fallen asleep when the door creaked open, waking him. “Octavia,” he called out, “are you okay?” Silence fell and Jasper stretched out, eyes closed, with the intent of trying to get back to sleep.
There was a soft shuffling across the floor and when he opened his eyes, he saw glowing eyes staring down at him. He jerked fully awake, his heart racing, “Octavia! You scared me.”
“I don’t like it in there.”
“Ummm, okay, what can I fix?”
Her hand touched his and she tugged, strong enough to pull him from the couch. With some measure of grace he got to his feet and nodded, “Sure, just show me.”
She kept her hand on his and he marvelled at how soft and warm she was. He briefly wondered if she was like that all over. As they got to the bed, her other hand found the middle of his chest and shoved. He hit the bed in a sprawl and then stared up in the dim light as the demon climbed in behind him. Her head settled on the narrow curve of his shoulder, one horn brushing his cheek. A soft sigh followed and then the little demon fell asleep.
It took Jasper another hour or so to do the same. However, like clockwork, his eyes opened before his alarm. There was no one beside him in bed. He was a little surprised at how well he actually slept, considering the company. She was toasty warm though. It was kind of like sleeping with a tiny heater.
He used the washroom quickly and then rooted through the dryer for some clean clothing. “Octavia? Do you need anything to wear? I have some extra hoodies here. Fresh from the dryer and clean.”
“I took this from the closet. Is that okay?”
Jasper glanced over his shoulder and damn near swallowed his tongue. Octavia had found some old t-shirts at the back of the closet that were too small for him and very fitted on her, showing off every curve and the fact that demons apparently didn’t do much in the way of undergarments. “Oh, yeah, that’s…yeah. Totally fine. I, umm, have a hoodie here if you want to wear something warm over top when we go to the store in a minute.”
Octavia shrugged and pulled on the fabric, letting it hang unzipped around her slim frame. If anything, it made his demon guest look even more gorgeous. Well, fuck, Jasper thought as he finished getting dressed. A quick check to his email, and a text to Monty to reassure him that he had survived the night uneaten and the two were off to the store.
Octavia asked no questions but when Whiskers hissed at her from her perch on Mrs. Grey’s balcony, the demon hissed back. The cat, with some measure of good sense, fled. “You promised,” Jasper reminded her.
“I know.” Octavia replied, clearly irritated with the old feline.
The line at Great Greens was short today and while Fox blinked in surprise at his unexpected companion, she pasted on a smile as she recommended the latte with the shot of cheer as today’s special. Jasper ordered his usual as Octavia picked nearly one of everything in the bakery case and a very large coffee with no extras. They had nothing on their menu that sparked enough evil, Jasper assumed.
“So first day of human vacation. Pastries, coffee and books. Three of my favourite things. This afternoon when my clerk gets in, we can do something you like.”
“Eat?”
“Umm, sure, there is a great barbeque place that we could go to. My friend, Nate, runs it. His husband’s a doctor.”
Octavia sighed, “I don’t eat doctors, or nurses.”
“Because they do good?”
“No, they smell like antiseptic and kind of taste like it too.” Octavia explained.
“Right. Umm, what’s your favourite non-human meat?” This felt like dangerous territory but he had to ask.
Octavia considered as she took a bite of her breakfast sandwich, and then swallowed before replying, “Goat, horse and dog.”
“Ummm, well, I, I don’t know any human restaurants that serve those meats.”
“I know.” Her reply was sad and small.
“What about deer? Or moose? Those are horse like, kind of. I know a few hunters who might have some game.”
“Really?” Octavia’s happiness nearly overwhelmed him and he resolved to text Roan this afternoon. He often went hunting and might have some options that would satisfy the demon’s tastes.
“Absolutely.”
He opened the bookshop store and Octavia stepped through. Her bag of treats hit the floor. Jasper reached down and picked them up. When he glanced up, he took in the way Octavia’s eyes were practically dancing around the space. “This is my store.”
She looked at him. “You love it.”
“I do. How can you tell?”
Her shoulder lifted and fell, “Humans always get a little warm when they look at things they love. Like there’s a little fire in them.”
“Oh, that’s kind of cool. So I get warm when I look at my store?”
“Yes. Also your friends. You’re warm a lot.”
Unsure what to say to that, Jasper showed her around the store and then set her free in the foreign languages catalogue to improve his selection. If there was a slight leaning toward murder mysteries, horror and true crime now, well so be it. He could check in with the publishers for other selections. While his customers initially blanched at the appearance of his new (temporary) employee, most of them recovered quickly and went about their shopping. Fortunately book lovers tended to be a cool group of people, at least in Jasper’s opinion.
“Are you sure about this, Jasper?” Emori hissed at him.
To be honest, he was surprised by Emori’s reaction initially. He hadn’t realised she was so, well, fond of him or so protective. He always thought she was a beautiful and clever person but when she had transferred from employee to friend was a mystery to him. Octavia walked over before Jasper could reply. He smiled at her, a little weakly, and nodded, “Hey Octavia, are you ready to head out?”
“You’re beautiful.” Octavia replied, looking directly at Emori. Emori’s mouth fell open but before she could reply, the demon looked at him, “She’s beautiful. Can I lick her?”
“Umm, no, you are only allowed to lick lovers here and she already has one.”
“More than one,” Octavia replied with a sigh, “But that makes sense.” Her gaze flicked back to Emori, “You are very lickable.”
“Umm, thanks,” Emori replied and then straightened her shoulders, “I need you not to hurt Jasper.”
“I won’t. I promised already I wouldn’t eat him, or his friends, or his neighbours, or,” her voice dropped to a deeper pitch, “their pets.”
“Yeah, that’s frowned upon here.”
“Did you know you’re half demon?”
“WHAT!” Emori gasped out.
“That’s why you have the hand of the devil. Very special. Your magic must be strong.”
“I didn’t know, I…I was raised in foster care.” Emori replied, her eyes welling with tears.
Octavia patted Emori’s arm awkwardly, “If you wish to find your demon mother one day, I can help. My guess is that you were too fragile to remain in our realm. It happens sometimes. I’m sorry. Jasper, are we leaving now?”
Jasper glanced between the two women and murmured, “Yes, we are going now. Emori is going to watch the store for a bit. Please go save your book list and then come back and we’ll go.”
Emori seemed like she was in shock, her entire world shaken and righted again in mere seconds. Jasper felt a rush of empathy. What a way to find out she might have been abandoned to protect her rather than lack of care. If a demon didn’t care, he suspected infants would be quite the delicacy.
“You okay, Emori?” Jasper whispered as Octavia wandered away.
“Yeah, I…I’m okay. She’s not what I expected.”
“Me neither.”
Emori then looked at him and nodded, “I like her.”
“Me too.”
Taking Octavia around the city became a lot simpler once he discovered that if he kept her fed, she was pretty easy to entertain. He did have to look the other way when she devoured a squirrel in the park but well, he needed to choose his battles. The call to Roan was a success and they were invited to stop by and pick up a selection. The discussion that followed about the best way to skin and clean game was a little nauseating for Jasper. He couldn’t help but think she wasn’t applying those particular skills to just deer.
That night, after he fed a happy little demon her roast deer, they watched a movie about a rather gruesome serial killer that Octavia rooted for the entire movie and was crushed when he was finally defeated. They crashed into bed that night with her tiny face pressed into his shoulder and one of her horns digging into his neck. When he tried to move away, her hands would clutch at him, holding on tightly until he finally grew still. His warm little evil demon sure didn’t like sleeping alone.
The days spilled after one another and they fell into a routine. She would often fetch the lunch or morning coffee order but could never bring herself to try any of their specials. They were all just too good for her, annoying the small demon. She and Emori became friends and Emori’s boyfriend would often send meat pies that Octavia delighted in consuming. Jasper couldn’t bring himself to ask what was in them.
The squirrel population in his neighbourhood took a negative turn but since they were not pets, he had no leg to stand on to object. At least Whiskers lived to see another day. They went to the ocean in the summer where she scorched the sand into some interesting shapes much like lightning would. They had a few of the most impressive pieces on their mantel now. He learned all her favourite serial killers, and could never manage to persuade her to enjoy Disney cartoons. The moment they killed the dragon in Sleeping Beauty had her in tears for hours. Jasper learned to cook some interesting cuts of meat.
By the time autumn rolled around, Jasper was certain he was going to have an interesting winter with his demon companion. She never failed to surprise and entertain him. That night they stepped out of the shop, daily trash in hand, Jasper chatted merrily about their plans for the next day. It was Octavia’s first trip to a pumpkin patch. She was very vested in carving some ghouls to decorate the shop. Octavia was helping put the correct items into the bins for the Mulch Fae when a light blinded him. Jasper fell to his knees, hand over his eyes while the other searched for Octavia’s. It curled over his, squeezing gently.
“Oh Jasper,” she whispered.
“Octavia?”
“I can go home now! Oh thank you Jasper. You were right. You were right.”
The hand released his. “Octavia!”
“Octavia?”
The light vanished. It took several minutes before Jasper’s vision was restored. He rose to his feet and looked around the dark alley. The dim bulbs overhead buzzed as Jasper finished the last of his chore. Octavia left his life as quickly as she entered, without so much as a goodbye.
He stood for so long, his skin grew cold before he walked home. Their apartment, now just his again, was a testament to the odd companionship they had formed. Her books, in various languages, lay scattered on the table. Her leftovers were nestled into their container in the fridge, waiting to be warmed up when she was in the mood for a snack.
Not bothering with dinner, he tucked himself into bed to indulge his misery. The tears pricked at his eyes and he tried to push them back. Of course she was going to leave. That was always the plan. She didn’t belong here. His demon had gotten to go home, just the way she always wanted. Jasper wept.
Sleep was fitful at best and no matter how many blankets he heaped on the bed, he was cold . By midmorning, he just couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Rolling out of bed, he held out a hand, “Clean please.” The mess on the floor was long gone. Octavia hadn’t liked it messy so he had gotten in the habit of putting things away. Out drifted a blue hoodie, Octavia’s scent woven into the fabric and tears welled in his eyes again. He cursed himself for being pathetic as he shrugged into the hoodie and headed for the washroom.
By the time the sun set, Jasper was still on the couch, a half eaten pizza on the coffee table next to the remnants of a litre of Coke. It wasn’t a great day but at least veggie pizza was back on the menu. The door clicked as it opened and Jasper sat up, groaning against the sudden movement with stiff muscles.
“Hello.”
She stepped into the room, her dark hair flowing down her back and she was wearing a dark red dress that swept over the top of her boots and showed off her very feminine curves. “Octavia?” Jasper rolled to his feet and stood up, staring at the demon he honestly never expected to see again.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed.
“What the hell are you doing back here?”
“You love me.”
“What?”
“You got all warm when you saw me. I wasn’t sure because we were always around other places or people you loved. But I just saw it.”
Jasper laughed, “You didn’t need to test me. Of course I love you.”
Octavia threw her arms around him. Her lips caught his, kissing him with tenderness that shocked him.
“I love you.”
“I thought you wanted to go home.” Jasper protested. As much as he wanted her here, he also wanted her to be where she wanted to be. His hand touched her cheek, smoothing back long dark strands as he met those black eyes that he had come to know so well.
“I am home.” she replied and tipped her head up for another kiss.